I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my review. In full disclosure, I am a huge Christina Lauren, and her book, "Dating You/Hating You," is one of my favorite books ever! But "Love and Other Words" is coming in as a tie. I just loved this story. I actually had to force myself to put it down so I didn't just race through it! This is the story of Macy and Elliot. Macy and her father end up buying a summer home because it is something that Macy's mother wrote on a to-do list before she passed away from cancer. As the two of them try to cope with the loss of their wife/mother they find that their summer home is right next door to Elliot Petropoulos, who would become the most important person in Macy's life-until he wasn't. Flash forward to today and Macy is now a doctor, engaged and she hasn't spoken to Elliot in years, until she sees him in a coffee shop. All of her feelings come rushing back, but things are more complicated now than they were then. There are lots of secrets and misunderstandings about why they fell apart, and could they ever be Macy and Elliot again?

This story is just so sweet and so descriptive, that I could just feel my teenage years all over again (yeah-the good and that bad!) The plot develops slowly-just as their relationship did, until you are just hoping they can find a way back to each other. As a reader of tons of books, you recognize very quickly when you have a book that is just going to be a winner. This was a winner for me! Loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery books for an ARC.

This book was hard to put down. I was sucked into the worlds of Elliot and Macy quickly and didn't want the book to end. The story is told in alternating timelines of when Elliot and Macy were young to now when they're adults. The reader learns early on that they were super close as kids, but then something happens to make them not speak for eleven years. It takes the entire book to finally reveal what that event was and why it impacted them the way it did.

I loved the premise of the book. And as I said I had a hard time putting it down, but once I was out of their world and my logical thinking kicked in I had some issues with the actions of Elliot and Macy. I don't want to give away major plot points, but this book takes place in the time of smartphones and social media so the idea they avoided any knowledge of each other for eleven years just felt wrong. It's mentioned that Elliot wouldn't have social media, but he comes from a large family who would.

Elliot is also kind of a jerk to Macy. Macy has lost her mom at a young age and struggles with that grief. Elliot, is the same age, but portrayed as much more mature and in tune with his feelings. Yet at the same time he casually mentions making out with other girls while proclaiming he only loves Macy. I think this was meant to show he really is still a teenage boy, but it just made him seem like a jerk.

I really loved reading the book and if you can go in and take it at face value it's a fun read. Even with the flaws I was rooting for Macy and Elliot to be together. I look forward to more books by Christina Lauren and will check out their past works as well!

One of the best books I have read in 2018! I just had one issue with why Elliot and Macy stopped talking. It was more Elliot thank anything. I was hoping the reason was false, because I liked him so much up until that point!

I just spent the last four hours completely immersed in this book. From the first page I was invested in these characters and how they would tangle and untangle their lives together. I thoroughly enjoyed the love story of Macy and Elliot as they grew up and the complications family, time, and distance had on them as individuals and together. I couldn't wait to see home love and all the other words would sort out in this story.

Additionally having books as a starring character is a fun bonus for all readers! I would recommend this to anyone looking to spend an evening lost in the pages of a good book.

I loved this book! Macy and Elliot meet as young teens and develop a strong relationship over time. Things happen throughout the years that ultimately tear them apart but then they meet again years later. A must read romance.

This book was great! I really enjoyed it. The character development was solid, the dialogue was fun, and the pacing was really good. Totally recommend it!

Christina Lauren's "Love and Other Words" is their best work. I loved reading "Roomies" and "Dating You/Hating You", but this book is just beyond. I cried, laughed, and smiled. Macy and Elliot's story has all the feels. Oh and I couldn't put it down, so I finished reading this book in a day. I look forward to more titles from Christina Lauren!

5 “I’ve Loved You My Whole Life” Stars!
Macy Sorensen is a 28 yr. old woman living in San Francisco. She works in pediatrics in critical care, and is engaged to a great guy. She lives a life she’s content with, but doesn’t ever fully invest her heart. Then a chance encounter with the guy who used to be her entire world makes her feel completely unraveled. Her perfect little life she’s created is turned upside down. She hasn’t seen Elliot Petropoulos in 11 years since she abruptly pushed him out of her life. He was her first real friend, her first love, her first everything.

Macy met Elliot when she was 13, and he was 14. She grew up in Berkeley, & after the death of her mother, her dad bought them a cabin they could vacation at. Elliot lived next door and they became very close. From the start things were always easy and effortless between them. Macy could always talk to Elliot about anything, & he was her safe place. He was her person, the one who understood her best.

Elliot can’t believe he’s seeing Macy again. He’s never loved another woman, and hasn’t seen her since high school. After a decade apart he will do whatever it takes to reconnect with her.

Macy soon realizes she never got over Elliot. There was a hole in her heart that had never healed that only he could fill. Seeing him again, she has to face that she’s still in love with him, and probably always will be. She’s spent the last 11 years angry & hurt. It’s time to face the past, and move forward.

This was such a beautiful emotional story told between past & present about two soulmates that meet when they are both in 8th grade. They become each other’s home. I adored Elliot from the skinny nerd to the sexy man. His heart is absolutely breathtaking. This was the first women’s fiction novel from Christina Lauren, & it was fantastic. It had a completely different feel to it than the other books I’ve read by them. This is one of those books that touched my heart & I’ll think about for a while. Just loved it!

This is a second chance at love story. Macy and Elliot meet when they are in their early teens. He becomes a source of comfort to her after having lost her mom at ten years old. The story is told in then and now. It is great getting the backstory but at times wanting to get back to the now to see whats happening next. I love second chance love but after finding out the original reason they were torn apart its both sad and somewhat frustrating. But as with life simple misunderstanding happens all the time. I would have loved an epilogue after the last now just to see after all this time of yearning for each other what happened next. Review on goodreads and amazon.com

Love and Other Words is the story of Macy and Elliot, childhood friends who became something bigger and then were broken apart. When Macy runs into Elliot in a Berkeley, coffee shop 11 years after the last time they've seen one another, nothing has changed and yet everything has. Can they find their way back together or is their time over?

Their story unfolds in chapters that shift between the past and the present in a compelling way that made me read the entire book in one session. But it won't be the only time I read it, because I have every intention of starting it over again when I need an escape from my kid's gymnastics class. Christina Lauren's first foray into women's fiction isn't one you'll want to miss. I hope they continue to write in this genre. Well done.

Wow - I have loved everything I have read thus far of Christina Lauren but this book blew them all out of the water. 5 stars, I can't wait until it comes out in April so I can give it as a gift to everyone I know!